coming up, one year after the devastating earthquake in haiti, how do faith-based groups see the situation? also, u.s. chaplains ministering to the foreign sailors who spend months at sea away from home.

welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. protests broke out in egypt this week after the suicide bombing of a coptic christian church in alexandria on new years day. more than 21 people were killed. security officials blamed islamic extremists inspired by al qaeda. muslim, jewish and christian groups in the u.s. condemned the violence, as did president barack obama and pope benedict xvi. meanwhile, the leader of egypt's copts said his country must do more to address the concerns of its christian minority. he met with several muslim leaders, who all appealed for calm following the attack. egypt and several european countries increased security at

coptic churches as they prepared to celebrate the coptic christmas on friday. the u.s. state department expressed concern over what it says is an increase in violence against christians. the department cited recent attacks on christians in iraq and nigeria as well as in egypt. in pakistan, funeral services were held for the governor of the punjab province who was murdered by one of his own security guards. the guard saide killed salman taseer because of the governor's open opposition to the country's blasphemy laws, which can carry a death sentence for defaming islam or the prophet mohammed. a group of more than 500 muslim scholars and clerics who support the laws voiced their approval of the assassination. pakistan has been under increasing international pressure to reform the blasphemy laws after a young pakistani woman, a christian, was

sentenced to death for reportedly defaming the prophet mohammed. ne weeis their anniversary of the earthquake in haiti that took an estimated 230,000 lives and left survivors and relief workers, many of them people of strong religious faith, with a daunting and lingering crisis. our managing editor kim lawton visited haiti after the earthquake and is just back from another trip there last week. >> reporter: driving through downtown port-au-prince, it's difficult at first to see much change since we were last here nine months ago. the presidential palace is still in ruins. thousands are living in a massive tent city across the street, and according to aid officials, more than a million haitians are still homeless. around the corner from the palace, people are living in tents on the grounds of the destroyed roman catholic cathedral. there, piles of rubble and broken stained glass still fill what was once a beautiful 100-year-old sanctuary.

but despite appearances, faith-based workers who have been active here over the past year insist there has been progress in dealing with this humanitarian catastrophe. >> the progress is slow, maybe not as quick as other emergencies, but we're moving forward. >> reporter: nicole peter is the haiti operations director for the christian group world vision, which has already spent more than $100 million in post-earthquake work. they've been involved in a variety of projects including shelter, water and sanitation, job creation, education, and family support. one example of their work is the corail displaced persons camp on a windy, flood-prone field outside the catal city. in april, the government of haiti moved almost 7,000 people to this location about an hour outside port-au-prince. but there were no preparations. there were no essential services or infrastructure, so

nongovernmental agencies had to step in to help the people. world vision and other agencies provided sturdy tents to help withstand the elements. groups brought in latrines and clean water and set up schools. the government still hasn't developed a long-term housing and resettlement plan for the people here, so world vision has begun building even sturdier transitional shelters. >> we had to negotiate with donors to convince them that timber frames were necessary. they said that those were perhaps too permanent, but we said, no, these people need something strong. >> reporter: the houses are designed to last up to seven years. they can withstand winds up to 100 miles per hour, and in typical haitian style, they all have a front porch. one of the residents, jeanne, invited me to sit on her front porch with several of the seven children who live here with her. she says she loves this house, and she's gratefuthe ds a ab to attend school. she says she'd like to get a small business going, so she can feed her children better.

mary kate macissac says there's been a lot of criticism from the outside media, and even some donors, that more hasn't been done. she's also frustrated by the slow pace, but she says people don't fully understand the realities on the ground. >> haiti was a country that was facing humanitarian crisis even before the earthquake. then you have a massive earthquake hit an urban center, the capital of a country, and it's a complexity of urban disaster that agencies have not had to deal with before. >> reporter: adding to that complexity is a rising cholera epidemic. world vision has set up cholera treatment units near various tent camps. visitors are disinfected before they enter and when they leave. according to the official numbers, more than 150,000 people have now come down with cholera, and nearly 3,500 have died. aid groups say the numbers are vastly underreported. on this morning, ten people have already been brought in for

treatment, including a 5-year-old boy who is also being treated for malnutrition. >> it's a new emergency within an emergency, so it's basically heightening issues that existed previously. >> what we have here is the original building >> reporter: rick ireland, administrator of the free methodist haiti inland mission, is also all too familiar with the complexities here. after the earthquake hit, denominational officials asked him to get to haiti immediately. the free methodist msion had suered tragic losses. this multistory building on their compound was completely destroyed. >> over here, we have the graves where the four people who died were buried. >> reporter: the administrator of this mission, reverend jeanne munos, was killed. two other american workers and a haitian staffer also died in the collapse. ireland had to oversee rubble removal, restore missions operations, and help coordinate relief and reconstruction. >> everything is just a little

bit harder here, and that does get discouraging. ♪ >> reporter: the free methodists have been working through local churches, like this one. sunday morning services here start at 6:00 a.m. shoe-shine vendors line up out front to help congregants look their sunday best, while local taxis called "tap-taps" keep bringing more worshippers. with over 2,000 people, it's standing-room only. ireland says this is the best resource to aid haiti's recovery. >> they knew their community. the pastors, both their church people and the nonchurch people were very aware of where the needs were. >> reporter: they've been rebuilding churches and schools and training people how to construct something that will withstand any earthquakes in the future. >> we trained haitian civil engineers how to build earthquake-resistant buildings, and from that group, the haitian teams went out all over haiti and did a number of seminars teaching people how to build

earthquake-proof buildings. >> reporter: across from a u.n. displacement camp is one of those schools. it isn't quite finished, but enrollment has already doubled from last year. they are also providing clean water for the entire community. >> we really have tried to step alongside the haitians and say, "here are the resources we have. here's the challenge. how do you think we can best do this?" >> reporter: one local pastor who has been leading the free methodist efforts is jean-marc zamor, who also has a larger vision for haiti. he took us down bumpy roads heading to a remote location where he wants to build a christian university that will focus on character and leadership development and train people to work in the public sector. >> after the earthquake, it's become more and more difficult to find good professionals, and that's give me even a higher conviction that this is what we need to do now. we need to train people to carry on the work.

>> reporter: he and a team of other haitian leaders used their own money to buy 200 acres of land. they've hired local workers to begin pouring the foundation of their first building, and they hope to have students by the fall. he gets frustrated that many outsiders see all haitians as needy victims. >> there are a lot of people living with cholera, a lot of people in need. but haiti is not only that. at the same time, there are a lot of people doing a lot of things, a lot of work going on. otherwise, we would not survive. ♪ >> reporter: local leaders are also active in the response of haiti's episcopal church. crowded sunday morning services here are now being held in an open-air structure with a tin roof. it's right next to the ruins of the holy trinity episcopal cathedral, which was completely destroyed in the quake. the church had been known around the world for its magnificent artwork.

once a month, the congregation takes a special offering for the reconstruction of the cathedral. episcopalians have been active in post-earthquake recovery. i asked the bishop how they will decide whether money should go to helping people or rebuilding the cathedral. >> it is a symbol. people may think that -- people may say, "oh, there are so many people intents, we are going to build big cathedral," and so no, it is a symbol of faith. it has always been so. ♪ >> reporter: and, indeed, for many in this predominantly christian nation, faith has been key to survival. >> they're filled with tremendous hope. it's unbelievable, because it would be so easy just to give up, and they haven't given up. they really believe that the future can be better. >> reporter: at the corail camp, world vision's mary kate macissac says she sees hope in the gardens people are

planting near their temporary shelters and in the small businesses that are popping up, and in people like jeanne's daughter, diana. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: she and her sister wrote a song that says despite the earthquake, they will always believe in god. >> people who continue to believe in a god that loves them is really quite remarkable. >> haiti is not dying. i think we have taken a lot of time to gettarted. once we get started, we will be well on our way, and we will be where we need to be in a couple of years. we are not dying. >> reporter: given the enormity of the problems that still exist, that hope is likely to continue being tested. >> kim, welcome back. >> reporter: thank you. >> how representative, how typical are those people, those hopeful people you talked to? >> reporter: well, i was surprised to hear anybody even mention the word "hope" given the enormity of the situation

there, but i did hear people wanting to say, "we are moving forward." yet one is suggesting that things are great or things are where they should be. there's a lot of frustration. a lot of people are tired. and so, that is definitely the reality. but within that, they are hopeful that they are laying the basis for some real long-term improvement. >> but the general impression i have is that most people here think that these relief efforts, these emergency efforts, are not going very well and that they are taking an awful long time. >> reporter: i kept hearing a lot of frustration in haiti about that criticism. they are saying, "look, we've been doing so much, but the situation has been so complicated." i talked to one relief worker. she'd been in gaza. she'd been in iraq. she just came from afghanistan straight to haiti, and she said haiti is a lot more difficult than any of those other places and people in the outside don't realize that. they don't realize the realities they are dealing with and the

layer upon layer of complication that make things take time. >> what are the worst problems? >> reporter: well, obviously, the government. there's been a government in transition. we are awaiting a new election. there's been political unrest surrodinghat. a lot of the international money is tied to the government having a plan, and so the donors from the outside don't want to give money or legally can't give the money unless the government has a master plan. well, if there's not a good government, a strong government. there's no government plan then that money can't come in and people can't move forward. that's one problem. there's corruption. haiti was in a bad situation before the earthquake, very little infrastructure and so all of those things piled together on top of -- they also had a hurricane and then the cholera epidemic. so, it's just complication upon complication. there are two phases -- the relief effort, the emergency relief effort, which seems to be going on still a year later. and, on the other hand, long-term development, investment in new jobs, and things like that. when are we going to get -- when

are the haitians going to get to that second phase? >> reporter: well, some of it's happening hand-in-hand or the beginning of development is happening even as relief work is going forward. a lot of the haitians i spoke with want to do it themselves. they want to be able to be self-sustaining. and they believe that for any lasting solution, that's the way it's going to have to be. but they adm that ketime, and so that's part of the problem, as well. >> kim lawton, welcome back. in other news, the 112th congress convened this past week, with the religious affiliation of members pretty much unchanged. according to the pew research center, 57% of the members are protestant and 29% are catholics, roughly the same as in the country as a whole there are 39 jews, 3 buddhists and 2 muslims. no members said they were

religiously unaffiliated. an appeals court in california has ruled that having a large cross on public land is unconstitutional. the cross is part of a war memorial in a park in san diego. a lower court judge had ruled in favor of the cross, saying it was a symbol of military service, not religion. but the appeals court said the cross did in fact convey a message ogovernment endorsement of religion. the roman catholic archdiocese of milwaukee is declaring bankruptcy because of sex abuse lawsuits. it is the eighth u.s. catholic diocese to do so. archbishop jerome listecki said without bankruptcy protection the possible cost of pending sex abuse suits would prevent the church from carrying out essential ministries. in boston, parishioners from a group of catholic churches have lost their appeal to rome letheirhurches rein

en. the boston archdiocese closed the churches seven years ago for financial reasons. but now pope benedict himself has denied the parishioners' appeal. in some of the churches, parishioners have kept 'round-the-clock vigils through out the seven years. catholic groups in boston hope to reopen the churches as catholic places of worship, but not as full parishes. also in boston, a same-sex wedding at the episcopal cathedral church of s paul, itintwo high-ranking episcopal clerics. reverend katherine hancock ragsdale, president of boston's episcopal divinity school, was married to reverend mally lloyd, a top assistant to thomas shaw, the episcopal bishop of massachusetts, who officiated at the ceremony. we have a report today on some of the lonely crewmen on the world's merchant ships, and

on some of the chaplains who minister to them when they are in u.s. ports. asaul gonzalez reports, e chaplains give the sailors communion, help in a crisis and, much appreciated, provide prepaid telephone calling cards. >> reporter: if you want to get up close and personal with the global economy, there are few better places to go than the port of new york and new jersey. here, merchant ships arrive from around the world, delivering mountains of cargo containers full of everything from plasma screen televisions to blue jeans, all imports bound for store shelves across america. >> the lord be with you. >> all: and also with you. >> let us pray. >> reporter: however, this port and the ships that dock here are also where a group of chaplains operate an unusual maritime ministry -- offering spiritual comfort and a helping hand to the world's seafarers.

>> in peace, we pray to you, lord god. oh lord, we pray for all mariners, that you will guard and protect us in dangers at sea and temptations ashore. >> reporter: the chaplains belong to the seamen's church institute, or sci, an episcopal group that's become the largest service agency for mariners in the united states. >> okay, my friends, what's up today? what's in port and where do we need to go? >> reporter: sci's executive director is the reverend david rider. >> we serve the spiritual and humanitarian needs of seafarers through worship, through practical support like connecting the family back home, occasional human rights violations, occasional illness or death -- those types of crises ministries we're invoved with to ease the burden on seafarers. >> reporter: sci has been part of life on new york's waterfront since its founding in 1834, when it soon established a floating dockside chapel.

it was a time when sailors' lives at sea could be brutal and their earnings, while ashore, quickly blown on booze and brothels. >> the average lifespan of a seafarer from the day he started was 12 years. the natural calamities at sea and disease in the 19th century a dangers ashore did not bode well for a typical seafarer. >> reporter: sci now operates programs at both coastal and inland ports in the united states. most of the chaplains' work involves visiting ships and their crews, 2,000 vessels annually in the new york area alone. >> good morning. good afternoon. we have lots of gifts for you. >> bonjour! tu vas bien? >> hello. >> reporter: once aboard, the chaplains both conduct religious services requested by the crew and, without proselytizing, give the men an opportunity to share their thoughts and troubles after a long voyage.

>> what's your family like? do you have mother or father? >> yeah. i'm still single. >> you're still single? that's good. you're saving your money. >> reporter: sci chaplain megan sanders says her conversations with mariners often involve how they keep their faith at sea. >> they don't have a physical church that they can go to every sunday or every friday or every saturday, and so we want to instill in them the knowledge that they carry their god and their relationship with their god with them, and that god enfolds the people that they love that they don't have the privilege of being with every day. >> reporter: much has changed in the maritime industry since the days of wooden ships and cloth sails, but for seafarers an ancient problem still persists. it's the isolation, sometimes loneliness, of life spent out on the open ocean. freighter ctain diomedes cabatic is familiar with those feelings. he's been at sea for over 20 years, but says he hasn't gotten used to long separations from his wife and children back in thehilippines. >> nine months.

>> reporter: nine months you are away from home? >> nine to ten months. >> reporter: it's a lot of time. >> a lot of time, because we need to earn money for our family. but that's why we need to go away from our family. >> reporter: but i imagine when you think about your wife and your three kids it's difficult. >> yes, it's difficult to be away with them. >> when is the last time you talked? >> three months. >> reporter: the chaplains get many requests to help crew members make cell phone calls and get prepaid calling cards. >> so phone cards and top-off cards are very important. it gives them the ability to call when they are close to the coast, all times of the day. >> reporter: in the past, sea farers could have looked forward to several days to unwind after a long voyage, but post 9/11

security at ports and international trade make it difficult for mariners to venture far from their ships. >> now, the turn around time is much faster because of automation and cranes and because of the container ships, they can be out of here in 18 hours and in the old days, four or five days. in 18 hours, you're still working because there's still work doing during the time at berth. >> reporter: if sailors do have a few hours of time. sci runs a welcome center in the hearth of the port. frs sailors can come to relax, use phones, and check in with families on the internet. >> henry, i bless you in the name of the lord jesus christ. >> reporter: port chaplains like marjorie lindstrom say the public doesn't appreciate the role sailors play in the global economy and the hard and dangerous work involved in getting goods across the sea. >> you know, they think about goods, they think about the money, and the seafarers, the

soul of those operations, are frequently ignored or forgotten or not even acknowledged, and they are the invisible. they go from port to port to port, and everywhere they go they are aliens. they are foreigners in a strange land. >> reporter: reverend rider says his "on the waterfront" ministry reflects the spiritual dimension of seafaring and the comfort sailors have placed over the centuries in their faith. >> cross the north atlantic in january, feel your ship rolling as you are even in bed, and much like a soldier in a military situation, thinking about divine support and sustenance can become very basic. it is not an abstraction for a seafarer on a bad day. being out at sea can be beautiful or haunting, and seafarers know both realities. their perience ogod n become very basic, either god's presence or god's absence, and they know that in the depths of their soul, and, again, in some small ways, we're privileged to hear their stories. >> beseeching him to uphold you and fill you with his grace.

>> reporter: for "religion & ethics newsweekly," i'm saul gonzalez at the port of new york and new jersey. finally, on our calendar this week, western christians and some branches of eastern orthodoxy celebrated the feast of the epiphany on january 6th. for t westernhurch, this mkshe vis of the se men to the infant jesus in bethlehem. the eastern orthodox associate the holiday with the baptism of jesus as an adult. also on january 6th, armenian orthodox churches celebrated christmas. many other orthodox christians celebrated it on january 7th. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. there's much more on our website. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are so availabl and you can follow us on facebook and twitter and watch us on smart phones and iphones with the new "religion & ethics

newsweekly" mobile web app. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, music from the parc chretien free methodist church in port-au-prince. ♪ ♪ ♪ major funding is provided by the lily in dowment and private family foundation dedicated to its founder's interests in religion, community development and education. additional funding by mutual of america, designing customized individual retirement group. that's why we're your retirement company, and the corporation for public broadcasting.